A blog about individual and community development using new information and communication technologies, especially e-learning, open educational resources, open source, Web 2.0, blogs, wikis, social networking, social bookmarking, semantic web and other social software.

2015-03-31

The findings in this first multi-country review of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities are sobering. Drawing on data from 54 low- and middle-income countries, the report concludes that 38% lack access to even rudimentary levels of water, 19% lack sanitation and 35% do not have water and soap for handwashing. When a higher level of service is factored in, the situation deteriorates significantly. A number of areas require urgent action and WHO will work with UNICEF, Governments and other partners to develop a global plan to address the most pressing needs and ensure that all health care facilities have WASH services.

2015-03-27

Have you been thinking about authoring an elearning course (Life as a 360 Author), but are having a hard time getting a sense of how much content to create to end up with about an hour of seat time?

The following provides broad high-level guidance for authors, subject matter experts, and instructional designers when planning an online course. Note that these are guidelines only. Design for actual courses should reflect learner needs with respect to course objectives.

Want to communicate the right way in your e-learning courses? One trick is to apply visual thinking skills. This post on visual thinking offers some tips.

The essence of visual thinking is to convert your text-based information to images and text that show concepts and the flow of ideas. I like the way Dave Gray describes it as a way to “move beyond the linear world of the written word, lists, and spreadsheets and entering the non-linear world of spatial relationships, networks, maps, and diagrams.”

2015-03-25

Carbon3D has just unveiled a groundbreaking new 3D printing process which could revolutionize the industry. Their new Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) process is between 25 and 100 times faster faster than current technology. The CLIP technology works by harnessing the power of light and oxygen to cure a photosensitive resin.

2015-03-23

Michelin three-star chef, author and TV personality Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin restaurant in New York City will take you on an insider's view of his culinary adventures as he travels the globe for creative inspiration including Australia. Ripert explores the people, places, cultures and ingredients of Australia.

2015-03-18

The purpose of this article is simply to remove some of the negative connotations around smartphones and to consider new possibilities which we have at our disposal. In order for students to use smartphones in school responsibly, it is important that we set limits and rules beforehand.

2015-03-16

One school in Pennsylvania is using open-source tools wherever possible to keep students close to the code behind the machines they use. This stance is opposite to the very restrictive policies of many schools, but could allow students more freedom to explore what makes devices work.

2015-03-13

"African countries are also quite diverse from an ethnic standpoint. As the Washington Post's Max Fisher noted back in 2013, the world's 20 most ethnically diverse countries are all African, partially because European colonial powers divvied up sections of the continent with little regard for how the residents would have organized the land themselves. This map above shows Africa's ethnographic regions as identified by George Murdock in his 1959 ethnography of the continent."

2015-03-12

As the name suggests, adult education programs prepare you to work with adult learners. The programs are based on adult learning philosophy, known as andragogy. In andragogy, learners are assumed to be self-motivated, self-directed, and have accumulated life experiences that need to be accounted for in course design and delivery.

Campus-based and online education in adult education programs can lead to interesting and satisfying careers facilitating learning in adults. This page provides information on what is studied in these programs, where you can study them, what the prospects are after completion, and more.

2015-03-10

UNESCO’s radio toolkit – Linking Generations through Radio – is an open access document, which is inspired by children and youth who make up one-third of the world’s population. The majority may listen to radio but the likelihood they are invited to regularly produce interviews and programmes, express their information needs or their opinions about productions made for them is very low.

2015-03-08

So we thought we’d start an ongoing collection–that is, one that is updated to reflect trends and changes–of the best resources for teaching with the iPad.

This will include resources from all of the best sources, from Apple’s own stuff to TeachThought to edutopia to MindShift to DMLCentral to Jackie Gerstein and more. We can update it, or make it a wiki to crowdsource the process, or you can add suggestions in the comments below. Based on the activity of the comments, and the sharing of the post, we’ll decide how to handle it moving forward.

2015-03-06

"Online discussions are the lifeblood of an online class. Without rich, ongoing discussions, learning is minimized. However, many online courses don’t help online learners understand how to post a new idea or response; the types of communications or posts that contribute to learning or share examples of good posts. As a result, online learners are often left to their own devices with many online discussions stalling or sinking to a level of mediocrity."

2015-03-03

What is the worth of a degree? Some commentators maintain that degrees are a waste of time and money. It is certainly true that they are expensive in the US and many students find themselves to be in serious debt at the end of their studies. So is it worthwhile getting a degree?

The answer to this question depends on how you define ‘worth’. If you define it in terms of getting a job, then as the BLS analysis shows, you are more likely to be unemployed without a degree. If you define ‘worth’ in terms of earning potential, then you are more likely to earn more with a degree than without one. So, if worth is measured by earnings and employment prospects, then numerically a degree looks worthwhile.